Unusually heavy seas for August pushed into the harbour putting a strain on the main mooring chains causing the one at the stern of "Blue Water"  to snap. Whilst the waves rolled in and the rain thrashed down, the Seaward 23 and the yacht Escape III were left shackled only to the back of Blue Water and rode precariously close to each other on the swell.

 Fortunately, little damage was caused to any of the boats and  after the tide retreated we were able to run ropes across to pull the boats back  into position on the evening tide and replace the chain.

 

Whatever the reason, it could have had potential problems for anyone trying to call the coastguard, possibly in an emergency situation. There were no obvious craft in the Traeth Bychan area that could have been the source so there was little I could do.
 
Of course there was no malice in this action and it does happen from time to time but it is a situation anyone with a radio aboard should be wary of. Below is a link to an article on such instances with a few recommended lessons for marine radio users. Worth a quick look. 

http://www.sail-world.com/index.cfm?nid=76114

I had read reports of new automatic lifejackets failing to  inflate due to poor build quality but not taken the time to check my own.  However, this weekend, I put on my automatic lifejacket only for the automatic inflation device to fall out onto the floor. Clearly this had not been screwed  tightly onto the canister unit and had worked itself loose over time. This also brought to my attention that the replacement date had just expired so I’ve now checked and replaced all canisters and automatic devices on my lifejackets. 

Lifejackets save lives but only if they are worn. Similarly, they  do need to be maintained so check the inflation units, make sure they are connected tightly and replace expired units as appropriate.
 
Anyone had similar experiences?